Photo by Deb Gau The library at West Side Elementary in Marshall is a lot smaller than it used to be, said faculty and administrators leading building tours at the school. The original library space has been turned into classrooms.

MARSHALL — In the discussion leading up to a building bond referendum at Marshall Public Schools, one school building has received a lot of attention. West Side Elementary, which currently serves third- and fourth- grade students in Marshall, would be the most affected by the proposed building bond. Where other Marshall schools would get building additions and upgrades, West Side would be replaced completely, with a proposed 81,000 square-foot elementary school to be built on Southview Drive.

Why would West Side be replaced? School district officials and West Side faculty say there are a number of reasons. In March, members of the public got a couple of chances to tour the school building, led by teachers and school administrators.

“Space would be the biggest concern,” said Jeremy Williams, principal of West Side.

The size of the student body at West Side has grown in recent years, Williams said. There are currently 186 third-grade students and 163 fourth-grade students enrolled at West Side, he said. Next school year, West Side is anticipating enrollment growth, from a larger group of incoming third grade students.

In addition, the range of services for children at West Side — like the Title 1 reading program, special education and English Learners programs — have all grown. Finding classroom space for all these programs has become a challenge, said Jamie MacKinnon, a teacher at West Side. Instructors meet with students in subdivided classrooms or offices.

“It’s pretty tight in here,” MacKinnon said.

A lack of space has affected West Side in other ways, too. The school’s original library was turned into classrooms, and the library now occupies a smaller room in a different part of the school.

Williams said West Side’s cafeteria can only accommodate one lunch line, which means some students have to wait longer for lunch. Lunch periods run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., he said.

The age and condition of the school building can also make it hard to meet students’ needs, faculty and administrators said. West Side was built in 1955, and Marshall Public Schools officials say it’s still operating with its original boilers, pipes and wiring. The need for repairs is getting more frequent, and it can affect students. This winter, part of the building was without water for a few days, Williams said. West Side faculty and staff also said temperature control isn’t consistent throughout the building — some classrooms are warmer or cooler than others.

Better building security would be another positive factor of a new school, faculty and staff said. Ideally, school visitors would need to be buzzed in to the building and enter through the school office.

Williams said he did get questions and feedback from area residents who took school tours at West Side.

“There were a lot of questions during those tours,” Williams said. Some community members said they didn’t realize what condition the school building was in, he said.

Replacing West Side with a new elementary school serving grades 2-4 is one of the items included in a $39.415 million building bond referendum question, which goes to voters on April 18. Other items in the same question include security upgrades and building expansions at Park Side Elementary, Marshall Middle School and Marshall High School. A second referendum question asks voter whether the school district should bond $1.025 million to renovate the vacant swimming pool area at the middle school.